This is my dad’s tattoo on his arm; it is a Celtic knot. The Celtic knot does not have a clear beginning or end; you can start at any place on it and not find the end of it. It also never closes; on the back of his arm, the tattoo has a small gap between its ends. There are different types of knots that can represent a few different things in Irish culture: heaven and earth, life stages, interconnectedness, the holy trinity, and so forth. But mainly, this type of Celtic knot is used to represent the never-ending path of life, which is why it doesn't close. Traditionally, these types of bands were usually metal jewelry and worn by warriors. For my dad, this tattoo was also a symbol of his homeland and his ancestry. His father emigrated to Australia from Belfast, Ireland, at 18 by himself. His family had been there for centuries and are traditional Irish Gaels, or the indigenous people of Ireland. On the other side of my dad’s family, his grandfather is traditionally Irish and belongs to the Coleman clan or the clan of storytellers and oral historians. This is how my Dad stays connected to his ancestry and homeland. 

– Siobhán Bass-Adams

Relationship:  Im/migrant who arrived as a child Im/migrant who arrived as a child